What Else?: The comedy series Portlandia, starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, shoots on location and satirizes the city as a hub of liberal politics, organic food, alternative lifestyles, and anti-establishment attitudes.

Go green. Portland ranks among the top 10 U.S. cities for most LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings per capita. It features a number of green hotels and venues, including the Allison Inn & Spa with its 10,000-square-foot eco roof and the Gerding Theater at the Armory—the first performing-arts facility on the West Coast to achieve LEED platinum certification.

Connected convention center. The Oregon Convention Center—with WiFi throughout—is the largest convention facility in the Pacific Northwest. It offers 50 meeting rooms, two grand ballrooms, and a 30,000-square-foot outdoor space. Visitors can get to and from the downtown hotel core and Portland International Airport via the city's light rail.

Food (and drink) galore. Portland is home to a large number of independent microbreweries, coffee shops, and 600-plus food carts that contribute to the unofficial slogan "Keep Portland Weird." Travel + Leisure magazine ranked its food and bar scene number five in the nation in 2012.

Samantha Whitehorne is deputy editor at Associations Now in Washington, DC. Email:[email protected]